Finding and Keeping the Best Vegetable Varieties

1. 11/26/13
1
Finding
and
Keeping
the
Best
Vegetable
Varieties
Frank
Kutka,
Theresa
Podoll,
and
Steve
Zwinger
Farm
Breeding
Club
Co-­‐Coordinators
With
special
thanks
to
Organic
Seed
Alliance,
State
Historical
Society
of
North
Dakota,
Marvin
Baker,
and
Dave
Christensen
Gardening
has
a
long
history
here
in
the
Dakotas

2. 11/26/13
2
What
varieties
of
vegetables
shall
we
grow?
• Hybrids
• Open
Pollinated
• Heirloom
• Where
do
we
Jind
them?
Seeds
to
Explore!

3. 11/26/13
3
But
which
is
the
best?

4. 11/26/13
4
“Ensuring
accessibility
and
suitability
of
vegetable
varieties:
Trialing
vegetable
varieties
for
traits
and
qualities
needed
by
North
Dakota
market
growers”
• ND
Specialty
Crop
Block
Grant
funding
• Goal
is
to
increase
the
accessibility
of
vegetable
varieties
well
suited
to
ND
• Partners:
• NPSAS/FBC
• NDSU
Plant
Science
Department
• ND
Farmers
Market
and
Growers
Ass.
• Entrepreneurial
Center
for
Horticulture
• FARRMS
• OSA
• NOVIC
Project objectives:
• 1: Evaluate five species using replicated
variety trials
• 2: Identify breeding goals for cultivar
improvement
• 3: Provide variety trial data to market
farmers

5. 11/26/13
5
Planning
a
Trial
• Prioritize
crop
species
• Prioritize
crop
types
• Identify
goals
of
the
trial
• ID
and
source
varieties
What
varieties
go
into
a
trial?
• Popular
commercial
varieties
of
the
crop
type
regionally
and
nationwide
• Older
standards
• Heirloom
and
exotic
varieties

6. 11/26/13
6
What
constitutes
an
effective
trial?
• Multiple
replications
of
entries
• Consistent
Jield
conditions
• Use
border
rows
• Evaluate
trials
by
“scoring”
important
traits
Randomization
and
Replication
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
3
2
1
4
5
B
B
1
3
5
2
4
B
B
5
2
3
4
1
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B

7. 11/26/13
7
Soil
=
Environmental
Variation
B B B B B B B
B 3! 2! 1! 4! 5! B
B 1! 3! 5! 2! 4! B
B 5! 2! 3! 4! 1! B
B B B B B B B
B B B B B B B
B 3! 2! 1! 4! 5! B
B 1! 3! 5! 2! 4! B
B 5! 2! 3! 4! 1! B
B B B B B B B
Marking
and
Mapping
the
Trial

8. 11/26/13
8
Measuring
Characteristics
Kale
Trial
-­‐
Seven
Seeds
Farm,
Williams
OR,
2009
Variety
Source
Vigor
Uni-­‐
form?
Flavor
Dis-­‐
ease
Pests
Overall
Winterbor
F1
JSS
9
3
7
7
3
5.8
Red
Russian
ABBO
9
9
5
5
5
6.6
Red
Russian
UPR
7
7
5
5
1
5
*Red
Russian
SSF
9
9
5
5
7
7
Toscano
JSS
3
7
7
9
5
6.2
*Lacinato
WGS
7
7
7
7
7
7
Starbor
F1
JSS
5
5
3
7
5
5
Ripbor
F1
JSS
3
9
5
5
3
5
*Blue
Vates
ABBO
5
9
5
7
5
6.2

9. 11/26/13
9
Marvin
and
Ilene
Baker
Carrot
Screen
2012
Foliar
disease
Root
shape
Root
tip
[ill
Root
tip
smoothness
Root
[lavor
Root
sweetness
Yield
The
Flavor
Critics:
" Educators
" Farmers
" Extension agents
" Spouse
" Shareholders
" Customers
" Neighbors
" Youth
" Employees
" Your Best Friend
" Siblings
!
!!

10. 11/26/13
10
Peanut
Arachis hypogaea
How
do
we
save
the
seeds?
Coriander

11. 11/26/13
11
Annual
Plants
Plants
that
complete
the
seed
cycle
in
one
season.
• Examples:
Lettuce,
SunJlowers,
Corn,
Cucumbers,
Broccoli,
Beans,
Peas.
Tender
perennials-­‐Tomatoes,
Winter
annuals-­‐
Spinach,
Chicory
• Much
variation
in
time
of
Jlowering.
• Must
plant
early
enough
for
seed
set.
Biennial
Plants
Complete
their
seed
cycle
in
two
years
• Example:
Carrots,
Beets,
Cabbage,
Celery,
Onions,
Parsnips,
Swiss
Chard,
Turnips
• Some
require
vernalization
to
germinate
well
• Must
consider
both
vegetative
and
storage
stages
of
life
cycle.
• Plant
for
optimum
over-­‐wintering
size
and
condition.
Expect
to
lose
some
of
crop
over
winter.
• Special
selection
considerations.

12. 11/26/13
12
Perennial
Plants
Plants
that
produce
seed
a
year
or
two
after
growing
and
continue
producing
for
several
years.
• Example:
Rhubarb,
Asparagus,
Sunchokes,
Tree
and
small
fruits,
Many
ornamental
Jlowers,
Many
culinary
and
medicinal
herbs.
• Must
be
winter
hardy
for
your
area.
• Some
require
vernalization
to
germinate
• Often
don’t
produce
large
quantities
of
seed
each
year.
Self
Pollinating
-­‐
Cross
Pollinating
IN
BREEDERS
OUT
BREEDERS
3
ft
5ft
20ft
500ft
1mile
2miles
2+miles
Peas
Lettuce
Tomato
Peppers
Spinach
Brassica
Beets
Squash
Corn
Self
pollinating
Minimum
isolation
Cross
Pollinating
Longer
isolation
5
plants
ok
50
plant
min
200
+
plants
recommended

13. 11/26/13
13
Timing
of
Harvest
• Plant
early
enough
for
seed
maturity
and
then
harvest
at
optimum
seed
set
and
maturity.
Harvest Techniques
• Cutting
or
Pulling
Plants
• Picking
• Bucket
Threshing

14. 11/26/13
14
Wet Seed Methods
• Harvest ripe fruit
• Extract and clean
seed
25
Seed
drying
options

15. 11/26/13
15
Threshing
Releases
seed
and
breaks
up
plant
material
Screening
• Separation by size
• Remove debris
• Hardware cloth,
window screen, etc.

16. 11/26/13
16
Winnowing
Tabletop
Clipper
Tester &
Cleaner

17. 11/26/13
17
Seed Storage
• Moisture Content - silica gel
• Cleanliness; Insects
• Temperature F + Humidity = < 100
• Containers: envelopes, jars, rubbermaid,
tupperware, bags
• Location: dry, cool, refrigerators and
freezers, temperature fluctations
• Envelope test
What
about
variety
improvement?
• Available
varieties
may
not
be
the
most
adapted
or
productive
• Available
varieties
may
not
be
the
most
marketable
or
desirable
• You
may
want
independence
and
control
over
your
variety
and
seed
source
• You
need
an
enjoyable
and
outrageously
rewarding
hobby
that
could
grow
into
a
career!

18. 11/26/13
18
“This
bulletin
is
written…
to
present
to
the
people
of
North
Dakota
a
picture
of
the
steps
necessary
in
the
development
of
a
new
variety…
so
that
they
may
perhaps
be
stimulated
to
undertake
practical
plant
breeding
themselves.”
A.F.
Yeager,
NDAC,
Sunshine
Sweet
Corn,
1927
Step
1:
Set
Objectives
“One
of
the
principal
jobs
is
to
recognize
the
need
for
a
variety
of
a
particular
kind.
With
the
need
known
we
can
then
proceed
to
produce
a
variety
to
meet
it.”
A.F.
Yeager,
1927

19. 11/26/13
19
Step
2:
Find
Parents
h=p://www.liseed.org/acorndiv.html
h=p://seedsavers.org/
h=p://www.territorialseed.com
h=p://www.fao.org/nr/cgrfa
Step
3:
Make
Crosses

20. 11/26/13
20
Step
4:
Select
Offspring
Step
5:
Evaluate

21. 11/26/13
21
The
process
takes
5-­‐10
years
“Dakota
Tears”
Onion
• David
Podoll
of
Fullerton,
ND
wanted
healthy,
long
storing
onions
he
could
grow
in
North
Dakota.
• He
kept
bulbs
from
a
number
of
varieties
that
had
performed
well
and
replanted
out
those
that
stored
well.
• Process
repeated
for
many
years
(plant
seed,
select
bulbs,
store,
reselect
bulbs,
plant
selected
bulbs,
collect
seed).

22. 11/26/13
22
“Dakota
Tears”
Onion
• Dakota
Tears
was
released
after
some
years
and
the
seed
is
sold
commercially.
“Dark
Star”
Zucchini
• Bill
Reynolds
and
Donna
Ferguson
grew
“Raven”
Zucchini
for
San
Francisco
markets
where
preferred
type
is
dark
green,
8”
long,
and
2”
in
diameter
• Due
to
seed
shortage,
began
growing
the
OP
“Black
Beauty”
instead,
but
had
many
off
types
• Crossed
Black
Beauty
and
Raven,
then
conducted
mass
selection
for
four
years
followed
by
selJing
and
evaluation
of
the
best
selfed
lines.
Best
one
released
as
Dark
Star.

23. 11/26/13
23
www.organicseedalliance.org
Dave
Christensen
of
Big
Timber,
Montana

24. 11/26/13
24
Dave’s
Painted
Mountain
Resources
n Northern
Plains
Sustainable
Agriculture
Society
Farm
Breeding
Club
(www.npsas.org)
n Organic
Seed
Alliance
(www.seedalliance.org)
n Seed
to
Seed
by
Suzanne
Ashworth
n Buffalo
Bird
Woman’s
Garden
by
Maxidiwiac
and
Gilbert
Wilson
n Breed
Your
Own
Vegetables
by
Carol
Deppe
n Seed
Savers
Exchange
(WWW.SeedSavers.Org)
n www.howtosaveseeds.com

25. 11/26/13
25
Thank
You!